


Getting the Brother Thing Right

by ERamos9696



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 03:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11569014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ERamos9696/pseuds/ERamos9696
Summary: I wanted a fic that dealt with the brothers just being brothers.  This is in the not so distant future where the Supernatural world is as it should be.





	Getting the Brother Thing Right

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NyteKit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyteKit/gifts).



Sam speaks to Dean on the phone at least three times a day…

 

Sam is happy. Dean is mark free, demon free, sometimes guilt free and spends his days at work.  Cas is back and assisting other hunters in their fight against evil. Crowley is back and still a pain, but that's to be expected. Back from heaven, Kevin checks in once a week, but the calls are becoming scattered as his classes get harder at Princeton. Sam and Dean both speak to him when he calls or when they call him. They know that he will be spending time at the bunker after spending some quality time with his mother. Dean knows that he has a school break coming so he is not stressing the lack of communication. Charlie is back from Heaven and still on her quest to find all that is magical in this world and the fairy realms. She comes home to the bunker twice a year for the LARP reunions. On her last visit she wiped the boys off of every law enforcement agency's database and gave them a fresh start.

Sam and Dean still live in the bunker. They understand that the safety-net the bunker provides for them is a needed one.  They still have their hunter responsibilities but have found great satisfaction in training a new generation of hunters. They record information in journals that all hunters send in. Both Sam and Dean believe it is safer not to show anyone else the location of the bunker, so a second bunker called _The Library and Training Facility_ were created.

The library was built on Bobby's land thanks to Charlie and her excellent hacking skills. Charlie was able to secure the proper permits and schematics to build the facility. Not to mention all the help she got from her new “friends.”  These are the friends that build without the worry of those who might come to ask questions. Hunters train and research there. As ghosts, demons, and monsters are killed, information is sent to the boys.

Sam is attending Kansas University Law School. His records were transferred from Stanford and he was immediately accepted, thanks to Charlie and her excellent hacking skills again. The grades were real though and Sam is proud of that. At first he worried that he would be too old to be in law school; that the teachers would question his commitment to his studies.  Instead he found that his excellent test scores and desire to help other students succeed earned him the respect of everyone he meets.

Dean works at a restoration garage. His boss is always impressed with Dean's mechanical skills and pays him a percentage of what is coming into the shop. It is enough to support him and Sam and to pay for law school. They only had to dip into the “emergency fund” twice. The emergency fund being the process of selling off one of the cars in the garage left to them by the Men of Letters.  Dean loves his job, but there are plenty of more cars to sell off if he wants to retire.  But every day at work is one that he enjoys.

"Yeah, Sammy?"  The phone call from Sam is always a welcomed one.

Sam asks if Dean knows where his grey jacket is. Dean reminds him that he dropped it off at the cleaners. Dean knows that Sam is carrying a full load of classes and somewhere between papers to write and case law to remember, Sam is forgetting the little things.

Sam says his goodbye and walks into class. He knows that he will speak to Dean two more times before he sees Dean back at the bunker for dinner.  The next call is from Dean. Sam is about to start the engine in his truck to exit the student parking lot. Sam loves his truck. First he fought Dean on wasting the money on a gas-guzzler but Dean refused to let Sam drive a Prius.  They both agreed on the truck and by the time Dean was done flirting with the sales lady, the truck was fully loaded.   

Dean tells Sam that he is at home and that he will take Sam's turn making dinner. The parts that Dean has been waiting on for the '65 Mustang are delayed another day. Sam is happy that he does not have to cook. He has plenty of studying to do. He knows that Dean knows this too. Dean is the best brother that anyone could ask for.               

Sam stops at the dry cleaners to pick up his jacket. The clerk is disappointed that he is not Dean. She always gives Dean her employee discount; no such luck for Sam. She is a petite Latina, the kind that stop aging from the years of thirty-to-forty. She is not Sam's type. She is exactly Dean's type.                   

Sam makes his third connection via the phone to tell Dean what just happen. Dean laughs with the clanging of pots and pans in the background. It is the third phone call and Sam feels better about his day. Both he and his brother know that the conversation could have waited for dinner small talk, but they have the unwritten rule of three. Cas once told them the universe was based on the magic number of three; whatever that meant. So every day, regardless of whatever time, three calls are always made.

 

There are a lot more than three unwritten rules.

   

Sam comes into the kitchen with a bag. Dean walks over and finds pie. It doesn't matter what kind of pie it is, they are all Dean's favorite. Dean thanks his Sammy with a warm hug.

This is another unwritten rule. Every day, regardless of whatever time, there must be a hug. They know that they love each other very much. Dean still has trouble saying it but he doesn't have a problem with hugs. It's been that way since Purgatory.

Sam is at the dinner/map table when he hears Dean coming from the kitchen. Another unwritten rule; no books, regardless of the type, during dinnertime. Dinnertime is for rehashing the day. Sam shares what he learned in class. Dean makes Sam laugh with the stories of Julio's broken English and customer service. After dinner, Dean washes the dishes even though it is Sam's turn. He claims that he still owes him from the previous week but Sam knows that Dean is lying. Dean wants Sam to study and doesn't want to argue.  Sam helps clear the table and then excuses himself to go back to his studies.

He sneaks a peek at his emails. Two are from the library in Sioux Falls. He answers them and then opens his case law book. With his legal pad ready, the note taking continues.           

He hears Dean go into the viewing room. Somehow, they now get all the channels available on cable, thanks to Charlie and her excellent hacking skills.               

Sam takes his book and jumps on the couch forcing Dean to scoot to the edge. Sam adjusts the throw pillow on Dean's thigh putting himself in the most comfortable position he can be in.   

"You know there's another couch over there."               

"Yes, but the lighting is perfect for reading right here."   

Dean thinks that they should get a bigger couch or Sam's head has to get lighter. He is not going to complain though. This is another unwritten rule; personal space is no longer an issue. They are beyond that. Dean adjusts the lamp on the end table so the lighting is better for his Sammy.                

Sam focuses on his reading with the occasional glance or two to what is happening on the television screen. Dean threatens to turn it off. Sam knows that it is an empty threat but returns to his reading anyway. Before long, Dean can hear the soft snores. He lifts Sam's head so he can slide out from underneath as to not wake him. He takes the book off Sam's chest and replaces it with a blanket. The book feels just as heavy as Sam's head. He exits the room turning off everything as he goes.   

Dean walks over to the other side of the bunker where Sam's laptop and books take up half of the table. Dean goes on his laptop and prints up documents for two hours before he hears Sam shuffling behind him.           

"How was your nap, Princess?"               

"I was resting my eyes."

"The snoring is what threw me off."

"Shud’ up."

They were 12 and 16 again.

"What are you doing?"                    

"I think there might be a case in New Orleans."           

That has Sam's full attention. They had not been on a hunt since he started this semester. He held his hand out for the papers Dean was about to hand him.               

Dean was right; three unsolved murders all on the same street with two others missing. Neighbors were all complaining about lights flickering and the sound of water gushing. Sam finished reading and handed the papers back to Dean.           

"Forward it to one of the hunters we have in the area."

"I'll do this one myself. I am still waiting for those parts to come in and-"               

Before he can finish the sentence, Sam is shuffling his way back to his bedroom. Dean sees it as Sam being tired. What he did not see were the tears welling in his Sammy's eyes.       

The next morning Sam is dressed and ready to hunt. He stalks the showers to listen for his brother to go in. Dean loves the water pressure. They still couldn't explain where the endless supply of hot water came from but it was better not to ask a gift horse in the mouth.               

The water stops and Sam runs for the kitchen to make the coffee. He strategically placed his duffle onto the table so Dean will see it.               

"Morning, Sammy. Why you up so early?" The coffee demands Dean's attention.               

"I didn't know what time we were leaving for the hunt."       

Dean is confused.               

"You said last night that there is a job in New Orleans." Now Sam was beginning to think he dreamt all of it.       

"Oh, that." More coffee. "When I called Julio to tell him that I was going to take the day off, he told me the parts came in."               

And like that, all of Sam's worries are over.

"Sammy, do you want some breakfast?" Dean's question snaps Sam out of it.

Sam doesn’t so Dean is out the door.            

Sam can feel the pit in his stomach. The first phone call to Dean would be before Dean can get Baby out of the garage.

"Dean, can you come back, please?"               

Sam walks into war room and takes his jacket off. He can hear Dean make his way back to his location.               

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Dean does not know if he should check if his brother has a fever or pull out his gun. There was a hint of concern when he heard Sam's voice on the phone, so much so that he ran back into the bunker without hesitation.

 

This was another unwritten rule, when either one of them wanted to say something, they said it.  "I didn't like the idea of you going on a hunt alone so I waited all morning for you to wake up and I was planning to go with you."       

Realizing that Sam is neither sick nor in danger relaxes Dean. There is a new issue that he did not see coming. Sam is upset.                   

"I don't want you to go on any hunt without me." Sam takes the seat closest to Dean.               

Dean does the same. "Sammy, first, you have class today. I don't want you to miss class. Second-," Dean hesitated.

Sam believes he is going to hear his brother give him some bullshit about how he is acting like a baby.

"You are right. I never should have thought about leaving you here to worry about me."               

Sam does not see this coming. Dean is 100% sincere in what he is saying.               

"Look, I'm sorry." Sorry is never a hard thing for Dean to say, especially to his brother. His goal right now is to prove it. "Today is light class day for you, right?"           

Sam nods. Dean knows Sam's class schedule better than Sam does. Dean also knows where each of Sam’s classes are. Dean EMF'd every building, office and chair the night before Sam started the semester. Dean did background checks on all of his brother's professors. Dean hid an anti-hex bag in each air conditioning vent. And sometimes, Dean hacks into the campus security cameras to keep an eye on his Sammy while he walks to his truck.       

"You are going to be late for class. When you are done, come by the shop and we'll go to that little Mexican joint for lunch. We can talk more then."           

Dean and Sam get up at the same time. Sam leans over and hugs his brother. He holds on a little longer than usual but nobody is timing them here. The hug releases the last of the tension that Sam has left in his body.                   

"K?"                   

"K."                   

The next phone call comes while Sam is leaving the school library. Right away his happy trot turns into angst. He knows that Dean is finally going to tell him the truth. Dean is going to say that he is halfway to New Orleans and that he is sorry he lied. The call is perfectly timed because Sam should be in class instead of checking out more books for the position paper that he is writing.               

"Sammy?"               

"Yeah." Of course it's him. Who else would be answering his phone?                   

"Everything okay?"               

"Yeah." Of course everything wasn't okay. He is waiting for Dean to spill the big lie.               

"It doesn't sound like it." Dean waits for Sam to reply but figures Sam is preoccupied with class or maybe Sam is upset that he interrupted the lecture.

"Sorry to bug you. Dude, I have had an awful day. I was just going to bitch and moan into your voicemail so I didn't put a downer on our lunch." Dean continues to tell Sam about the trouble the Mustang engine is giving him. He swears that Julio is making it worse by sticking his nose into it. Dean is at his wits' end and is ready to take the whole engine apart and start over. He only stops to take a breath and starts yelling at Julio that he will chop him off at the knees if he starts messing with the engine again.               

Sam goes from angry to guilty within seconds. Here he thought his brother was going to... It didn't matter. He is wrong and he feels ashamed for letting his emotions get the best of him. "Do you want to cancel lunch?"               

"No. Hell no.  I want to cancel Julio." Dean pulls himself out of the conversation and starts yelling at Julio again. "Amigo, I swear to God if you take another step towards that car I will kick your ass."                       

"How about if I pick up the food and take it over the shop?" It is the least he could do.               

"Sammy, you are the best." Sam hears what he thinks is a socket wrench hitting metal. "I didn't say you were the best compadre, get the-” Sam hears more crashing of metal. "I gotta go little brother. Bring a shovel; we're going to bury Julio."   

Sammy isn't sure if he is serious or not, but there is a shovel in the back of the truck, just in case.               

It was about an hour when Sam gets to the shop. Julio is limping his way into his van.       

"Dean, you didn't?"  Sam points at the injured Julio.   

"What? No. He ate it because he doesn't watch where he is walking. "               

"Hey, Esam."

"Julio, just Sam. No eh sound."  Dean knows that there is logic in trying to help Julio with his accent.           

"Jes what I say." Julio gets into his truck.       

Sam asks Julio is he was going to be okay to drive and he assures Esam he is.               

Dean takes the bags out of Sam's hands and they walk over to the outside lunch table in the back of the garage.           

"Sammy, I am telling you, I am starving."           

"Well, maybe if you had made time for breakfast."       

"I really wanted to get this Mustang out of my hair."       

"How's that going by the way?"               

"When the crew comes back from lunch, I have a plan. We'll finish it today." Dean notices the answer does not satisfy Sam. Dean gives it a moment and realizes that Sam wants to say something. "Before, I put this burrito with my name all over it into my mouth, is there something that you want to talk about?"   

"Actually Dean, that burrito has my name on. You grabbed the wrong burrito."           

Dean trades the burrito.               

"When you called at lunch, I thought for sure that you were going to tell me that you had gone on the hunt after all." Sam looks down at his burrito and starts to take it out of the aluminum foil. He is a little embarrassed about how he feels. "I was sure that you were going to tell me that you had lied to me and then give me some BS for the reason."

He knows that Dean is trying to keep his word. He knows that all the unwritten rules are necessary in order for them to continue trusting each other.

Sometimes the anticipation of waiting for Dean to lie is too much. When the semester had started his anxiety had lessened. Maybe it is the time he puts into his studies or the three times he will talk to him on the phone or-           

"I can see why you would think that." Dean doesn't want Sam to think he isn't fully invested in the conversation, but if he doesn't get a bite of the burrito in him soon, he will pass out from hunger. The bite is a big one because he fears that bite might the only one he will get in.                   

Sam smiles which throws Dean off again. "Look at us, all mature and having adult conversations. Acting like brothers. Listening to each other. Talking."                   

The burrito is delicious but the conversation is going to continue. "After everything we have been through, this is the way we should treat each other. We have been through a lot Sammy, but we always come through it together. It's a building process, but as long as we keep doing this-"           

"Chick-flick moments?"           

"Whatever; it's working." Dean looks at Sam as if asking permission to get another bite of his burrito.           

"Eat, you've got a Mustang waiting for you."               

"We cool?"               

"Yeah, we’re cool Dean. Eat your burrito."               

The third call comes from Dean while he was leaving the garage. The usual questions; if Sam needs anything? He answers how long it will take him to get home.                       

When Dean pulls into the garage, there are boxes loaded onto Sam's truck. He wants to look what inside them, but something tells him not to do it. He fears that the boxes are filled with Sammy's things. Maybe Sam has had enough? But what about the trust issues? If he opened the boxes, what does it say about his trust in Sam? Dean is so deep in thought, he doesn't hear Sam come up behind him.           

"Hey. I didn't hear you come in." Sam puts a box into the truck. "Dinner should be ready by them time you wash up."   

Dean still can't get himself to ask what is in the boxes. Instead he looks down at his hands that are covered in Mustang.   

Sam put dinner on the table while Dean changed into a clean shirt.                   

"Do you need any help?" Dean asks although he can see that the table is set.

Sam waves him off so he sits in his chair. They always sit across from each other. The head of the table is a spot used for placing items of the meal.  Sam puts the last of the dinner on the table and sits. He takes one more look over the table to make sure that he isn't forgetting anything.               

"Why is it that we eat off every dish when I have cleanup?"   

"Because I am brilliant. Wait 'til you see the mess in the kitchen."                   

"This chow better be worth it." Dean takes the first bite. It is.                   

An hour later Dean works up the courage to ask what is in the boxes. "What's in the box?" Dean says this in his best Brad Pitt impersonation.               

"You've been wanting to ask all dinner, haven't you?"       

"Maybe?"               

"I wanted to fill you with food before I threw the idea out at you."               

Dean isn't worried that Sam is leaving. He really never was. They had come a long way. Maybe he is 99% sure, but there is always that 1%.                   

"I want to head over to Bobby’s tomorrow. The boxes have a lot of the books we found duplicates of in one of the storage rooms." Sam knows that Dean is done with the Mustang. He knows that Dean loves to see the progress of the training camp. He wants to see everyone.   

"Sure, but what about your studies?" If this is some sort of peace offering Sam is making, it does not need to come at the cost of his studying.           

"You can drive while I read." Sam gets up to take the dishes to the sink. Dean follows.           

The kitchen isn't that bad. He has the table cleared and dishes washed before the evening news. He walks over to the couch and Sam raises his head so Dean can slide himself into his spot. Adjusting the lamp so Sam can have more light on his books, Dean falls into their routine.       

 

They leave in the morning for South Dakota. Dean really didn't like driving Sam's truck. It makes him feel like he is cheating on Baby. He knows the boxes would not fit in his car though and the truck is the logical choice. Sam is used to studying in the passenger seat. It comes from years of doing the research for the hunt. Sometimes, Sam thinks he can focus better when he reads in the car. It takes about nine hours to get to Bobby’s, including the lunch break stop they make at their favorite diner.   

As they approach the camp/salvage yard Dean notices that from the outside, nothing seems to have changed. Everything looks like the junkyard that Bobby built. Sam remembers the games that he and Dean would play on top of the old heaps. Bobby is missed everyday by his boys.               

Dean notices the complicated security system is in place. They are all disguised to look like old rusted out cameras, but what they really are is state-of-the-art technology. The eye in the sky is more than one person watching, it is an entire network of colored monitors manned by four hunters. The black box follows the truck as it drives in. The gate is opened by what looks like a Bobby wannabe. The dogs sniff under the trucks carriage for stowaways. Sometimes, Dean thinks that this is overkill but then he remembers that he is the one that created this step. There is too much to lose if the yard is breached; hunters, research, and the technology.               

The truck is waved in and Dean and Sam drive to the front of the garage. Another Bobby wannabe catches the keys that Dean tosses over to him and follows Dean's orders to unload the truck into entrance four. Bobby wannabe II speaks into his wrist microphone and drives the truck into the barn door that opens for him.       

Sam carries his book bag into the house followed by Dean. The house has been rebuilt to look shabby on the outside with the broken screen door and all to match the foyer and living room. The kitchen is still tiny with the smell of beans coming from the stovetop. If one steps closer they will see that the smell actually comes from a box set in a pot to create the illusion that food is cooking.

Sam sidesteps a charging hunter causing the tackle intended for him to get an unsuspecting Dean instead. Dean hits the floor with a thump and blocks the punch intended for his jaw. He rolls the hunter over and pegs her arm behind her back.               

"Say Dean is the king!"                   

"I rather you break my arm!"               

"Just say it, Chrissy. You know he can wait you out." Sam is always playing peacekeeper.                   

Dean gets up and pulls Chrissy up with him and into a hug. She walks over to Sam who lifts her off the floor and spins her around.               

"What did you bring me?"                

"How about 100 books of lore you have not read yet?"       

"Garage four?" She is running out the kitchen door before Dean can confirm.                   

"How 'bout a heads up next time?" Dean rubs his back in pain.

"You need to see, Doc?" Sam knows the answer but loves to tease Dean.

"No, thanks. He'll probably remove my spleen."           

Sam puts his book bag on the kitchen table and follows Dean into the basement. This is the first evidence that the old Bobby's is just a front. The basement is actually a tunnel leading to more concrete tunnels with the Star Trek feeling everywhere. Dean puts his hand over the security scanner and the doors swishes open. They are both greeted by a group of hunters. Handshakes and hugs for everyone.

Dean and Sam are outfitted with an earpiece and follow their guide through one of the hallways. More doors swish open and both men enter the arena leaving their guide at the door. In the center of the arena is an angry vampire throwing hunters from one side of the room to the other. The vampire is wearing a metal neck brace. The hunters are attacking two at a time swinging their machetes at his neck always missing by mere inches.       

"You are attacking at the same time giving me the opportunity to use you both against each other." The vampire turns around to see Sam first. He walks over to him and holds him in a long embrace. "Sam, how are you brother?"

The hugging stops when the vampire hears the clang coming from the metal on his neck.

"One of you needs to distract the vampire while your partner goes for the neck."  Dean lowers his machete to hug his friend. "Benny, how you been?"                   

Benny takes off his metal neck brace and tosses it to one of the hunters that he is training. "Children, Daddy is going to have a beer with Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean. Go review the footage and see where your mistakes were made."               

All the hunters-in-training exit as Dean and Sam follow Benny through another door. It leads into a mess hall where another five hunters are chowing down. Benny goes into the cooler and grabs two beers and a thermos. Instead of sitting to enjoy their drinks, they continue to follow Benny through another door.        This war room is brightly lit and is filled with monitors. Kevin is standing in the middle of the room directing the hunters at their computers on what to do. They are monitoring hunters. Kevin is holding his chin up with his thumb as his eyes scan over all the monitors.                   

"Kevin!" Sam walks over to him to greet him with a hug. Dean walks over to where they are standing with a look of disapproval on his face.   

"Dean, before you say anything, I have a three day break. I am caught up with all my reading and-" Dean hugs him hard and long.               

"Why didn't you come home to the bunker?" Dean finally releases him so he can answer.               

"It was our next stop, I swear." Dean holds Kevin by the shoulders.                   

"Wait, how did you get here?"               

"I brought him." Castiel stands behind him in his FBI suit.   

"Cas!" Both Sam and Dean go in for the hug and like that, they look like they have practiced the group hug many times before, which they have.               

"Excuse me." A small voice comes from behind Castiel. "Ready."               

Cas releases the boys and looks over Amber. She was African-American and about 25. She has her FBI badge in the breast pocket of her suit jacket. She has been practicing identifying herself in front of the mirror. She does not want to hold the badge upside down and make a fool out of herself.       

"Sorry, Amber, it looks like we need Cas on our Orleans hunt. They are calling for back-up." Kevin is responding to calls for help through his earpiece.               

"You go. I'll take her. Amber is it?" Dean looked over to Sam.               

Cas flutters away and Kevin is observing him on the monitor.   

"You take Amber and I'll stay here and help Kevin out." Sam knows that Dean was hoping that he would say that. He feels comfortable in being able to observe Dean over the monitors.   

 

The first call over the phone comes as Dean pulls up in a 2015 Impala in front of the small business ready to be pretexted.   

"We just got here. How are the cameras working?" Dean adjusts his pen in his breast pocket as Sam directs him to over the phone.               

Both Dean and Amber walk into the shop and questioned the owner. She follows Dean's lead in the questioning. Her questions are in order.               

The second phone call is from Sam to Dean congratulating Dean on a job well done in training Amber.               

"She was terrific." Dean smiles at Amber knowing that she was going to be able to handle the next investigation without anymore training. "She is a natural."               

The third call is from Dean to Sam. Amber drops Dean off in front of the bar that they had agreed to meet at. Not seeing Sam's truck in the lot triggers the phone call.

Sam answers before the end of the first ring to tell Dean that they rode into town in Jody's truck.               

Dean walks into the bar and stands before his seat at the table. Benny slides a beer that is waiting for Dean. Kevin is drinking a purple concoction but Dean is afraid to ask what it is. Jody is laughing at something Cas said in response to something she had said. Dean imagines it is a lesson that she had learned from her Bible class. Sam is missing from the table. Before he can ask where Sam was, Dean is swung around by the talking moose and brought into a hug.           

"Good job today. You are a natural teacher."           

"I have had some good students."           

Everyone is now at the table. Laughing and backslaps can be heard from the outside of the bar.

Garth monitors the celebration from one of the bar's cameras’ feed that he has hacked into. He takes a sip of his overheated coffee and burns his tongue.

"Balls!" He soothes the burn with a raw piece of meat from the plate left for him next to his keyboard.               

"Camera three," one of the hunters directs Garth to look, "looks like we are clear of ghost activity."               

"Good. Send the team over to the haunting in San Diego. They should be there by morning."                   

The hunter repeats Garth's orders over the microphone and they immediately acknowledge.       

He looks back to the feed of the bar. Dean is holding up his beer to the camera knowing that Garth is watching. Garth toasts back with his coffee mug being careful not to drink this time.   

"Let's see how Richardson is doing." The monitors flickered and brought up the live feed. "Everything is good."

                   

Everything is good.

               

**Author's Note:**

> The entire time I was writing this I had Chuck's voice in my head.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of "Supernatural".


End file.
